[TechRepublic] The road from microprocessor to consumer product

Cracking Open TechRepublic Member | June 07, 2012

Editor's note From microprocessor designers and semiconductor foundries to SBC builders and product manufacturers, this week's lead article explores the companies that make the tech we crack open. --Bill The road from microprocessor to consumer product Have you ever wondered just how those chips wind up in the branded products you use and where they actually come from? For you curious types, Nick Hardiman has done the research for you. Read more Resource of the day Free 2011 Salary Report IT Professionals - Register on activeTechPros for immediate access Business Professionals - Join the activeBizPros community to view the report Additional TechRepublic resources   Five things you should know before trying to fix a smartphone or tablet Bill Detwiler shares essential advice for everyone who wants to repair a cracked iPad screen or broken smartphone. Read more Iconia Tab A510 teardown reveals positives and negatives for DIY repair During his teardown of the Acer Iconia Tab A510, Bill Detwiler found a good-sized battery, individually-replaceable components, and lots of yellow tape. Read more 10 steps to creating a Word input form User forms make data entry more efficient, reduce errors, and ensure consistency. This walk-through will show your users how easy it is to set up their own forms. Read more Modding the Atrix Lapdock for the Droid 4 Donovan Colbert walks you through the steps of modding the Motorola Atrix Lapdock so that it's compatible with the Droid 4. Read more Does the end of unlimited data spell doom for the mobile revolution? Patrick Gray doesn't think that the end of unlimited data will stifle mobile innovation. Do you agree? Read more Featured multimedia   Cracking Open the Acer Iconia Tab A510 Five tools to keep Windows systems in top shape Hands-on with Lenovo's prototype Windows 8 tablet (pictures) First look at Windows 8 Release Preview Featured multimedia   Google Maps heading to new directions (pictures) Today, Google unveiled three major features for Google Maps, both in its desktop and mobile form. View on site Scenes from the Steampunk World's Fair 2012 The Steampunk World’s Fair was held May 18 - 20, 2012, in Piscataway, New Jersey. Take a look at some scenes from this year's event. View on site 10 wild new patents: The future of tech? USPTO has been granting lots of new patents, some with a surprisingly quick turnaround. Here are drawings of 10 noteworthy patents issued to top tech players last week. View on site Today's recommended downloads Free 2011 Salary Report Remote support for PCs, Macs and Smartphones (LogMeIn) Ready for Anything: Preparing for The Future of Communications (IBM) Engines of a Smarter Planet Experience (IBM)   About this newsletter I dissect the latest business tech products and analyze the internal components in order to help IT leaders make smart hardware purchasing and deployment decisions. Bill Detwiler Head Technology Editor My Twitter feed: @billdetwiler Connect with TechRepublic Big questions about Windows 8: What are yours? TechRepublic will be covering Windows 8 from every angle and we'd like your feedback on how we can best help you evaluate and optimize it. TechRepublic newsletters   Get technical tips and tutorials, IT industry analysis, geeky discussions, and more in the following TechRepublic newsletters. Automatically sign up today! Smartphones Tablets in the Enterprise Geekend TechRepublic UK

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